PARACHUTE XI

Parachute XI originated out of the blue in late 2008. Put together by blues guitarist Ananth Menon and Ganesh K, Parachute is an amalgamation of genres ranging from metal to blues and jazz. Although seemingly disjointed, the sound is a rhythmic dance of crunchy and steadily weighty notes. With an uncanny semblance to bands like Cream and The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Parachute xi’s sound can be described as psychedelic noise that has an almost therapeutic ring to it. Almost, not always! Grunge, grunge, grunge!

TYP INFLUENCES

Parachute xi Range from Allman Brothers Band, Camel, King Crimson to more contemporary progressive/psychedelic bands like Riverside, Pure Reason Revolution, Oceansize, etc.

TYP LINEUP

Parachute xi The Band lineup is Ananth Menon on Vocals and Guitar, Ganesh K on Bass and Vocals and Guru Somayaji on Drums. Occasionally we have Fuzz backing us with loops, sequences and computer sounds.

TYP NAME SIGNIFICANCE

Parachute xi We’ve been asked this question over and over again, but nothing actually.

TYP SET

Parachute xi Primarily Alt Rock. But then unless you see us live it’s hard for us to describe what we play.

TYP MESSAGE

Parachute xi There’s no one message. The attempt musically and lyrically is to break boundaries and create music that gets you ‘ADDICTED’.

TYP GIGGING HISTORY

Parachute xi The Live Gig (Bangalore); Fete de la Musique (L’Alliance Francaise de Bangalore); UTV Music and Movies - Kyra Theatre (Bangalore); A Band of Images featuring Parikshit and Hari’s photo’s- Kyra Theatre (Bangalore); Mocha Bar (Delhi); The Hard Rock Cafe (Bangalore); Attitude (Gurgaon); Himalayan Blues Festival – Five appearances as part of festival (Kathmandu, Nepal); Great Indian Rock (Bangalore); Octoberfest (Bangalore); The Blue Frog (Mumbai); The Big Mushroom Cloud Festival, Suburbia (Bangalore); et cetera, et cetera!!!

TYP BEST GIG

Parachute xi None so far. Yet to happen!

TYP INSPIRATION

Parachute xi Sounds like Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, King Crimson, Opeth, Cream, the Allman Brothers and Camel at a tea party hosted by Pink Floyd.

TYP MUSIC – FULL TIME or TIME PASS?

Parachute xi We attempt at music full time. However, we also have to maintain 9-5 jobs to keep doing what like doing best – make music.

TYP VIEWS ON INDIAN INDEPENDENT MUSIC SCENE.

Parachute xi Indian rock music/ indie music is growing and going in the right direction. The quality of music coming out is unprecedented. However, it does need support from corporate houses (FMCG, beverages, clothing brands, etc) for it to grow further.

TYP COMPETITIONS vs. GIGS.

Parachute xi We don’t play competitions. However, it is a good exercise at reaching out to younger audiences and watch out for upcoming bands that are trying something beyond the ordinary.

TYP FUTURE PLANS

Parachute xi We will be releasing a full length album which will contain 8 – 10 songs. Promote it to our best by touring India with one or two other bands in support of the release. Other than that play as often as possible.

TYP NEXT GIG.

Parachute xi Audience can see us whenever they want to! All they have to do is drop us a line: info@parachutexvi.com and you can keep a track of our gigging calendar – twitter.com/parachutexvi or myspace.com/parachutexvi.

For more on Parachute XI visit http://www.parachutexvi.com/